Account Onboarding Guide
Step-by-step walkthrough for treasurers creating and configuring a new TroopForge account
This guide walks you through the complete account setup process as a treasurer creating a new TroopForge account. By the end of this guide, you'll have a fully configured organization ready to invite members and start managing your troop's finances.
Before You Begin
Gather this information to streamline your setup:
- ✓ Troop name and charter organization
- ✓ Sub-troop names (if you have linked troops or multiple patrols)
- ✓ Current troop roster (member names, email addresses, family groupings)
- ✓ Payment method (credit card) if selecting Regular or Summit tier
- ✓ Approximate member count to help choose the right subscription tier
Step 1: Create Your User Account
Visit the TroopForge homepage and click "Sign Up" to begin creating your account.
Required Information:
Your Personal Details
- • Full name
- • Email address (will be your username)
- • Secure password (minimum 8 characters)
- • Phone number (optional but recommended)
Account Preferences
- • Time zone
- • Notification preferences
- • Display preferences (light/dark mode)
What Happens Automatically: When you complete this step, the system automatically creates a Family record and a Member record for you, and assigns you the Treasurer role with full administrative access.
Step 2: Choose Your Subscription Tier
Select the subscription plan that matches your troop's size and needs. You can upgrade or downgrade anytime.
Trailhead - $0/month
Best for: New troops (1-15 scouts), pilot programs, very small troops
Limits: 15 active members, 1 sub-troop, 3 active events, basic features only
Setup: No payment method required, instant access
Basecamp - $29/month
Best for: Typical scout troops (15-75 scouts)
Limits: 75 active members, 3 sub-troops, unlimited events, advanced features
Setup: Payment method required, 30-day free trial starts immediately
Summit - $79/month
Best for: Large troops (75-300 scouts), district organizations
Limits: 300 active members, unlimited sub-troops, unlimited events, all features
Setup: Payment method required, 30-day free trial starts immediately
Exclusive Features: Transaction reversals, bulk operations, API access, priority support
About the 30-Day Free Trial
- • You'll need to add a payment method to start your trial (Regular or Summit tier)
- • You won't be charged anything during the trial period
- • You'll receive reminder emails at 7 days, 3 days, and 1 day before trial ends
- • Cancel anytime during the trial to avoid charges
- • If trial expires without payment, your account automatically downgrades to Trailhead tier
- • All your data is preserved when downgrading
Step 3: Add Payment Method (Regular & Summits)
If you selected the Regular or Summit tier, you'll need to add a payment method to activate your free trial.
Accepted Payment Methods:
- Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover)
- Debit cards with credit card processing
Payment Security:
TroopForge uses industry-standard payment processing:
- ✓ PCI DSS compliant payment processing
- ✓ Credit card information never stored on our servers
- ✓ Encrypted transmission using TLS/SSL
- ✓ Secure tokenization through payment processor
Note: You can update your payment method anytime through the Billing section in account settings. If you're on the Trailhead tier, you can upgrade to a paid tier later.
Step 4: Configure Your Organization
Now you'll set up your troop's basic information and organizational structure.
Organization Details
Required Information:
- • Organization name (e.g., "Troop 135")
- • Primary location/city
- • Charter organization
Optional Details:
- • Organization logo/photo
- • Website URL
- • Meeting location and schedule
Create Sub-Troops
Sub-troops help you organize your members into logical groups. You'll need at least one sub-troop to assign leaders.
Common Sub-Troop Structures:
-
Linked Troops: Separate boys and girls troops sharing administration
Example: "Troop 135B - Boys" and "Troop 135G - Girls" -
Patrol-Based: Organize by patrol groups
Example: "Eagles Patrol", "Hawks Patrol", "Wolves Patrol" -
Age-Based: Group by rank or experience level
Example: "New Scouts", "First Class+", "Venture Crew" -
Simple Structure: One sub-troop for the entire organization
Example: "Troop 135 Main"
Subscription Limits: Trailhead tier allows 1 sub-troop, Basecamp tier allows 3 sub-troops, Summit tier allows unlimited sub-troops. You can change your structure later by upgrading your subscription.
Step 5: Build Your Troop Roster
Create family and member records for everyone in your troop. Remember: member records exist before user accounts.
Important Concept: Members vs. Users
TroopForge separates member records (roster and financial tracking) from user accounts (login credentials). This allows you to:
- ✓ Set up your complete roster before anyone has login access
- ✓ Track finances for all scouts, even those under age 13 who won't have user accounts
- ✓ Control who gets access through a formal invitation process
- ✓ Maintain financial records even if someone leaves and their user account is deactivated
Creating Families
Start by creating a family record for each household in your troop.
For each family, provide:
- • Family name (e.g., "Smith Family", "Johnson Family")
- • Primary contact person (typically a parent/guardian)
- • Primary contact email (for family-level notifications)
- • Primary contact phone number
- • Mailing address (optional but recommended)
Pro Tip:
The primary contact email will receive important family-level notifications about balances, event deadlines, and payment reminders. Choose the parent/guardian who should receive this information.
Creating Members
For each scout and parent, create a member record and assign them to their family.
For each member, provide:
Required:
- • Full name (first and last)
- • Member type (Scout or Parent)
- • Email address
- • Assigned family
- • Sub-troop assignment(s)
Optional but Recommended:
- • Date of birth
- • Phone number
- • Rank (for scouts)
- • Join date
Important: The email address is crucial - it will be used to send invitations for creating user accounts in Step 6. Make sure you have accurate email addresses for parents and scouts age 13+.
Bulk Import Option
If you have a large roster, you can use the CSV import feature to upload multiple families and members at once.
Steps for CSV Import:
- Download the CSV template from the Members page
- Fill in your roster data following the template format
- Upload the completed CSV file
- Review and confirm the imported records
Step 6: Verify Your Setup
Before inviting members to create user accounts, verify that your organization is configured correctly.
Pre-Launch Checklist:
Step 7: Invite Leadership First
Start by inviting your leadership team (co-treasurers and leaders) before inviting parents and scouts.
Why Invite Leaders First?
- ✓ They can help answer questions from parents during the rollout
- ✓ Leaders can assist with creating and managing events
- ✓ Co-treasurers can help process transaction requests
- ✓ Provides backup support during the onboarding period
Invitation Process:
- Navigate to the Members list
- Find the member record for the leader/co-treasurer
- Click "Invite to Create Account"
- Select their role (Leader or Treasurer)
- Customize the invitation message (optional)
- Send the invitation
What Happens Next:
- • The member receives an email invitation with a unique signup link
- • They click the link and create their user account (password, preferences)
- • Their user account is automatically linked to their member record
- • They're assigned the role you selected (Leader or Treasurer)
- • They can immediately access the system with their assigned permissions
Step 8: Roll Out to Parents and Scouts
Once your leadership team is onboarded, you can begin inviting parents and scouts to create their user accounts.
Recommended Rollout Strategy:
Phase 1: Parents (Week 1)
Invite all parents first. They'll be able to manage their family's accounts and sign up scouts for events.
Phase 2: Scouts 13+ (Week 2)
Once parents are comfortable with the system, invite scouts age 13 and older who want their own accounts.
Note: Scouts Under 13
Scouts under age 13 don't receive user accounts. Parents manage their accounts and event registrations.
Communication Tips:
- • Send an announcement email before invitations explaining the new system
- • Include a brief overview of what parents/scouts can do with their accounts
- • Set expectations for when they'll receive invitations
- • Provide a contact person for questions (treasurer or designated leader)
- • Consider hosting a brief demo or Q&A session at a troop meeting
Post-Onboarding: Next Steps
Congratulations! Your account is set up. Here's what to focus on next:
Immediate Tasks
-
Create your first event
Start with an upcoming activity to test the system -
Set up fundraiser tracking
Configure how you'll distribute fundraiser earnings -
Establish transaction request categories
Create categories for common deposit/withdrawal types
Ongoing Management
-
Review transaction requests daily/weekly
Parents will submit payment requests for approval -
Monitor event registrations
Track who's signed up and their payment status -
Generate monthly reports
Review financial status and share with leadership
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Issue: Member didn't receive invitation email
- ✓ Check that the email address is correct in their member record
- ✓ Ask them to check spam/junk folders
- ✓ Resend the invitation from the member's profile page
- ✓ Verify your organization's email settings aren't blocking invitations
Issue: Hit subscription tier limits during setup
- ✓ Upgrade to the next subscription tier through Billing settings
- ✓ Archive departed members to free up slots (they don't count toward limits)
- ✓ Verify your member count is accurate
- ✓ Contact support if you need temporary limit relief during migration
Issue: Accidentally invited member with wrong role
- ✓ After they create their account, you can change their role in account settings
- ✓ Navigate to Account > Members, find the user, and update their role
- ✓ Changes take effect immediately
Issue: Need to add members after initial setup
- ✓ Create new family record (if needed)
- ✓ Create new member record and assign to family
- ✓ Send invitation to create user account
- ✓ This is the normal workflow for new scouts joining throughout the year